AN ANGEL FOR SOLOMON SINGER

AN ANGEL FOR SOLOMON SINGER by Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Peter Catalanotto.

Newberry winning author Cynthia Rylant brings us a very heartwarming story in the picture book An Angel for Solomon Singer.

Solomon Singer is an elderly man who lives in a hotel for men in New York City. Everything about his surroundings makes him very unhappy, and he longs for his Indiana farm, boyhood days. At night, to get out of his room, he roams the noisy streets aimlessly. One night he happens upon a little cafe, a beacon of warm, yellow light in the midst of the chaos. That little cafe changes everything for Solomon. The welcoming smile of the waiter and the down-home styled food take him back to his younger years. Solomon Singer has found a piece of home even in New York City.

This book delivers a very powerful message. We are surrounded today by lonely people. For this particular story, I'm going to focus on the elderly. The elderly are a very valuable part of life. It is upon their shoulders that we, as the next generation, stand today. I don't doubt for a minute that a man like Solomon Singer is full of wonderful stories that he would love to share with others if he only had the opportunity. Get to know the Solomon Singers around you. Even if they aren't full of stories, they are valuable just in who they are and deserve to be appreciated and listened to by the rest of us.